A PREGNANT woman is among at least five dead after a ferry carrying hundreds went up in flames.
Chaos erupted as terrified passengers strapped on life jackets and leapt off the burning boat as a raging inferno ripped through the vessel on the water.
facebook.com/bakasangbusu14The passenger ferry was engulfed in flames off coast of Indonesia[/caption]
FacebookPassenger Abdul Rahmad Agu seen floating at sea holding a baby[/caption]
Thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky as the blaze ripped through the vessel
x.com/@MadonsaIqbalVideo captured the flames tearing through the boat as passengers scrambled to flee[/caption]
The horrific blaze engulfed the KM Barcelona VA off the coast of Indonesia, authorities confirmed.
284 of the passengers and crew were rescued, and no injuries have been reported yet – although rescue efforts are still ongoing.
There are no exact figures of how many people exactly were on the boat, and officials said they were still investigating the cause of the fire.
The inferno broke out at around 1:30pm local time on Sunday, reports said.
Commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command Denih Hendrata said three navy ships had been deployed, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far.
He also explained that the rescue operation included help from local fishermen, who picked up survivors wearing life jackets as they drifted to nearby islands in the choppy waters.
Panic erupted onboard when thick black smoke began billowing from the lower decks.
Harrowing footage showed passengers leaping into the water, many of them clad in bright orange life jackets, as the blaze ripped through the ship.
A brave survivor filmed himself clinging to a baby in the sea after leaping off the burning ferry off the coast of Indonesia.
Wearing an orange life jacket, Abdul Rahmad Agu filmed passengers flinging themselves into the water in real-time via a heart-stopping Facebook live stream.
In the live stream, Abdul could be heard saying: “Help, the KM Barcelona V is on fire. There are still many people on board.”
“We are burning at sea… we need help fast,” he pleaded in a panicked voice, his camera shaking as flames tore through the ship in front of him.
Clinging to a baby, he could be heard trying to calm other passengers who also jumped overboard.
The live stream lasted for around 28 minutes – meaning people were left in the water for at least half an hour before they were rescued.
Videos captured the screams and desperate cries for help from passengers as the chaos unfolded.
The sky above was darkened by thick smoke as the vessel burned from the hull up.
Footage showed an overcrowded deck as crew helped passengers buckle their life vests before jumping off the boat.
Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams race against time to account for all passengers.
Some of the survivors were seen staring at the destroyed ship from a neighbouring boat as the blaze was put out.
The once blue and white vessel was turned into a burned black carcass as flames tore the boat inside out.
x.com/@MadonsaIqbalThe packed boat was carrying 280 passengers[/caption]
X.com/@Opiniku18The deck was overcrowded with people in orange life vests[/caption]
X / @AnwarTjiat4847Rescued passengers looking at the ravaged ship after the fire was put out[/caption]
Metal bars from the ship’s internal structure became exposed as the hull was completely destroyed.
At least three rescue ships were dispatched to evacuate survivors.
Fishing boats and local residents also surrounded the blazing ferry to help rescue as many passengers as possible, the Manado Search and Rescue Office said.
KM Barcelona VA was a passenger ferry serving the Manado-Tahuda route, as well as surrounding islands.
The ferry was en route from the Talaud Islands to Manado City when it caught fire off the coast of North Sulawesi.
It was nearing Talise Island in North Minahasa Regency when thick black smoke began pouring from the vessel and flames shot into the sky.
The ferry had been scheduled to dock at Manado Port before disaster struck, local outlet IDN Times reports.
At this stage, the cause of the fire remains unknown.
A search and rescue post has been set up at the nearby Likupang Port.
Families of those onboard have been urged to stay calm and await official updates.
The head of the Manado Search and Rescue Office, George Leo Mercy Randang, said: “More information will follow. We hope all passengers can be rescued first.”
The boat blaze comes just a day after at least 38 people died after a packed tourist boat capsized in Vietnam.
When high winds struck Halong Bay, the Wonder Sea boat, carrying 53 passengers, including five staff members, capsized.
Rescue crews recovered 37 bodies and saved 11 survivors, with five still unaccounted for.
The giant plume of smoke could be seen from far away
X.COM/SAR_NASIONALNearby boats surrounded the vessel on Sunday[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
